Where´s the "@" key. I cant check my email.

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Buenos Tardes,

Santiago is CRAZY. I will start at the beginning.

The flight. ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh the flight. What a long and painful flight. 11 hours squashed into the tiniest seats. I think the person in front was wondering why he had four legs. LAN Chile planes are not made for the taller traveler, and by taller I mean 5 foot 5. If your going to travel with them cut off everything below the ankles and maybe yor knee caps, just in case, it WILL be worth it.

So managed to sleep about a grand total of 60 mins in my vice, wacthed some movies, ate some kai and talked to Karla in the seat next to me. She was a very chatty brazilian who works for Fonterra and does the Rio - Akl trip 4 times a year, loco.

Finally started descending into Santiago, but it was all cloud. Totally overcast. Couldn´t see a thing. Finally popped out off the cloud at about 2500 ft and were literally scimming the tops of moutains on either side. Yippie.........

Processed through customs with no issues. then got mobbed by 120 cabbies wanting to be my friend. I wan´t going to take a cab originally because it was going to be too much. But Carlos was so persistent, I couldn´t shake him even after walking back and forward along the concourse waiting for a bus for 20 mins, that I finally gave in. That and the fact that I talked him down from 25 USD to 15. After seeing how long it was to get into town I think I got a deal.

HOLY COW. Driving here is nuts. The cab was trying its hardest to shake it self to pieces. Carlos was trying his hardest to do the craziest passing manouver and get a stunt bonus. I just laughed my arse off in the back. Once we got into town, every driver played this game were they would accelrate to 90 km between traffic lights. Didn´t mattr if they were only a few hundred metres apart and if pediastrians were crossing, same thing everytime. Stop. Race. Brake hard. Stop. Race. Brake hard. Almost died twice on the way in. Santiago drivers a mucho loco.

Booked into this pretty cool hostel in an old part of town. Photos coming. One of Carlos too. Pretty cheap. Real clean and secure, so I´m happy about that. So now we get to explore Santiago proper. At a glance. Santiago is huge, brown, dirty and polluted., with people everywhere. 6 million apparently. On closer inspection, yep, still huge, dirty and polluted, but its pretty amazing. There are some real old buildings and real spectacular areas here and I have only wondered for about an hour. And the pople. I swear no one must be at work. The streets are chock full.

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Photos

My room in Santiago
not much, but warm and cozy, but best of all secure.

A dog fetching a car
This site is repeated every change of lights at every intersection throughout Santiago.

The streets
Typical Street. See how crazy the dogs are to take this on. Los perros muchos locos